"What are you trying to say?" Song Xin didn't quite understand.
"It's fine if you don't understand, I'm just happy that I can be of assistance to you. I can restrict the ticket sales of Tiffany's new film," Xiao Yuhe smiled. "As long as it is one of Tiffany's films, Kaihuang will refuse to screen it and help you get revenge. What do you say?"
"Will that work? Won't the other people in Kaihuang have something to say?" Song Xin asked with doubt.
"As the second biggest shareholder, I can make small decisions like this. Just wait and see Tiffany being turned into a joke," Xiao Yuhe said as he held onto his coffee cup with a deep and mysterious gaze. This was his way of getting on Song Xin's good side. Taeyeon was capable, but he had no say in internal decisions made by individual companies.
After hearing Xiao Yuhe's offer, Song Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief as she relaxed her tensed forehead.
But, during the release of Tiffany's previous two films, what difficulties had she not overcome already?
...
That night, the lights in Crown Empire were still brightly lit.
Duan Jinghong returned to Crown Empire because she had been summoned by Chanyeol. However, as she stepped into Song Xin's room, she noticed a woman walking around outside. Duan Jinghong felt something wasn't right, so she opened the door and looked at the woman, "Which department are you from? Can you not pace back and forth here?"
The woman was in her early 20's. As soon as she saw Duan Jinghong, she began to hesitate.
"Say something..."
The woman took a deep breath like she needed great determination, before she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Duan Jinghong.
"What is the meaning of this?" Duan Jinghong asked helplessly.
"You'll understand after you look at it. If you give me money, you can have it. The remainder is in the President's office."
Duan Jinghong was a little surprised, but she still pulled out a bit of money and handed it to the woman. However, as Duan Jinghong opened up the piece of paper in her hand, she was stunned. The paper was a part of an evaluation report done by the higher-ups in Crown Empire regarding Tiffany and Song Xin. But, it was just a small part. In fact, it looked like it was just a draft. It seemed the woman was a cleaner who had picked it up from the bin. No wonder the woman had told her that the remainder was in the President's office.
Duan Jinghong wanted to know what the board of directors thought of Song Xin and their future plans for her. But, how was she to see the final evaluation?
She had to find a way to visit the President's office...
The best idea she could think of was to look for the cleaner.
As a result, Duan Jinghong secretly took note of the cleaner and, after much difficulty, managed to get in contact with her. She quickly explained her intention: she wanted the woman's access card.
The cleaner simply wanted to make some money and did not want to take any risks, so she rested in the staff resting lounge and ignored her. But, Duan Jinghong took this opportunity to steal the cleaner's access card and placed it into her handbag like nothing had happened.
That night, as Duan Jinghong was about to head back out, Song Xin stopped her, "Where are you going so late at night? You've been extremely secretive lately."
"Go to sleep first. I'll be back before midnight. Don't ask too many questions," Duan Jinghong brushed her off.
Song Xin sighed. To be honest, she had never requested Duan Jinghong to be so attentive towards her. After all, Duan Jinghong had her own personal space and time. So, Song Xin did not insist on a response as she waved at Duan Jinghong, gesturing for her to leave.
But, she would have never imagined, after Duan Jinghong left this time, it would not be easy for her to return...
...
Duan Jinghong was careful. She had done many things for Song Xin like this in the past. She was especially nimble as she entered Taeyeon's office without anyone noticing.
Afterwards, she approached Taeyeon's desk and carefully opened his drawers. But, she never knew that Taeyeon's drawers had an alarm system installed. As soon as she heard the alarm, she broke out in a cold sweat. Just as she jumped up to escape, a huge creature appeared behind her and bit down on her leg and dragged her a few meters across the floor...
"Help...help!"
A moment later, the dog trainer was awoken and quickly ran out of his room. Seeing the scene in front of him, he immediately ordered the dog to let go. But, by this time, Duan Jinghong's leg was already in a terrible state and was a pile of flesh and blood.
The dog trainer immediately called the ambulance and the entire Crown Empire was alerted to the matter.
Duan Jinghong was quickly sent to the hospital. After careful examination, her injuries were, of course, not light. Luckily, the dog had already been vaccinated from all forms of disease including rabies. Otherwise, Duan Jinghong may not be so relaxed.
"I want to call the police! I want the police!"
Hearing this, the dog trainer looked at her innocently. She called the police for her as a good deed.
Within 10 minutes, the police were dispatched. After arriving at the hospital, they asked Duan Jinghong, "Are you sure that your company's CEO deliberately sent the dog to hurt you?"
Duan Jinghong's eyes were red, about to burst into tears. But, the dog trainer said innocently, "Officer, I was the one that called you. This incident isn't the way that this woman has described it. I can confirm that this woman snuck into the President's office to steal something from him. However, she had no idea that there was an alarm system in the President's desk. The dog has been trained well. When it realized that there was a thief, it reacted naturally."
"I can help her apply for compensation, but my dog and I will not be blamed for deliberately harming another person."
"She was the one that stepped into a dangerous place. Don't tell me someone else should be held liable."
After hearing this, the police pointed to Duan Jinghong and asked the dog trainer, "Do you have any proof?"
"Officer, our President has surveillance cameras installed in his office. You are welcome to look through the surveillance footage," the dog trainer replied.
Duan Jinghong was injured and guilty. So, after the policeman left, she turned her back to the dog trainer and pretended to get some rest.
"Tsk tsk, how pitiful..."
Duan Jinghong never imagined that she'd experience a dog bite so quickly. In fact, her injuries were even worse than Shinhye's. After all, how could a bulldog compare to a pit bull?
As Duan Jinghong thought about the fierce dog, she wanted so badly to tear it apart.
What was she to do now? She had obviously asked the cleaner if Taeyeon's office had any surveillance cameras and she was certain that there wasn't...
But, what if there really was?
What would she do?
And what about her leg?
Duan Jinghong lay in bed as tears rolled out of her eyes. She did not dare to contact Song Xin. But, as she lay there, she suddenly thought of something frightening.
Could this have all been a part of Tiffany's revenge?
The more that Duan Jinghong thought about it, the more frightened she felt and the more she sensed chills down her spine. Eventually, she found a countless amount of reasons to comfort herself.
"Impossible. Tiffany can't be smarter than Song Xin. Tiffany couldn't have discovered what I had done."
But, everything was such a coincidence. Did coincidences like this really exist?
The next morning, Song Xin headed into Crown Empire all on her own and found out through the staff in the office that her manager had been bitten by a dog, "Last night, someone overestimated themselves and tried to steal something from the President's office. But, they were unexpectedly bitten by the President's dog. I heard they are currently lying in hospital. I'm not sure if it's true or not."
"Of course it's true. That person was none other than Song Xin's manager, Duan Jinghong. The police dropped by early this morning to get an understanding of the situation and to get a copy of the surveillance footage. What a joke! She completely shot herself in the foot and got caught on the spot!"
Song Xin overheard the cleaners talking while she was in the elevator. As soon as she stepped out, she gave Duan Jinghong a phone call, "Where are you?"
"I...I may need to go back to my hometown for a while. Something happened to my family," Duan Jinghong immediately created a lie.
"Jinghong, you know the consequences of lying to me." Song Xin stormed into Chanyeol's office without waiting for Duan Jinghong's response and glared at him, "Did my manager get bitten by a dog?"
"She's your manager. Shouldn't you ask yourself? Why are you asking me?" Chanyeol asked back without answering her question.
"What's the meaning of President Kim's actions? Why did he release his dog onto my manager?"
"The President's dog is kept inside his office. It hasn't bitten anyone else, so I wonder why it bit your manager," Chanyeol continued to avoid answering. "The police have investigated into the matter and have looked through the surveillance footage. It was your manager's fault for not sleeping at night and instead sneaking into the President's office to steal something. That's why she was bitten."
"I don't believe you."
Chanyeol seemed to have anticipated this response, so he turned on his computer and showed the surveillance footage that the police had studied earlier to Song Xin, "Whether you believe it or not, the evidence is before you."
Song Xin did not look pleased, especially after seeing the entire footage. She never thought that Duan Jinghong was so stupid as to sneak into Taeyeon's office.
So, she closed her eyes and turned her face away from the screen.
"Crown Empire will announce the truth to the public soon before they arrange compensation for her. From now on, I wish her all the best on her own."
"By the way, to avoid affecting you too much, it's best you keep your distance from your manager and draw a fine line."
After hearing this, Song Xin immediately grabbed onto Chanyeol's arm, "Crown Empire can't announce the truth. How am I going to face the world after this?"
"Crown Empire are obligated to cooperate with the police and reveal the truth," Chanyeol replied calmly. "Plus, President Kim's dog was fine all along and did not attack anyone. Why should it be blamed because of your brainless manager? If others didn't know, they would think that our President Kim is a violent person."
Song Xin had no reason nor right to stick up for Duan Jinghong. After all, she was caught red-handed and there was surveillance footage as proof.
But, she couldn't figure out why Duan Jinghong had done what she did.
Before the incident began to spread, Song Xin put on a complete act and arrived at Duan Jinghong's hospital; she was afraid that people would relate her to the word, 'steal'.
"Song Xin, you're here. Hurry and help me."
Duan Jinghong's legs were covered in bandages as she sat pale-faced in bed. As soon as she saw Song Xin, her eyes lit up with hope.
"Help you?" Song Xin pushed Duan Jinghong away with extreme disappointment, "The entire Korea is about to hear about your embarrassing incident. How am I supposed to help you? The police have already checked the facts and Crown Empire are ready to announce the truth. Chanyeol has asked me to keep my distance from you. So, you will need to suffer a little and handle yourself in front of the limelight on your own." After speaking, Song Xin pulled out a bank card from her handbag.
"There is enough money on here for you to fund your daily expenses for the rest of your life. Hold onto it..."
"Are you planning to abandon me at a time like this?" Duan Jinghong was shocked by Song Xin's actions.
"I'm not abandoning you, I'm just avoiding you for a little while. You don't want both of us to be destroyed, do you? Give it a bit of time, after you've moved out of the limelight, you can change your name and return to my side."
Duan Jinghong did not say a word. After all, the first thing that Song Xin did as soon as she arrived was not ask her what to do or the condition of her leg. Instead, she gave her money and tried to get rid of her.
After quite some time, Duan Jinghong finally asked, "Aren't you afraid that I'd stab you in the back?"
"You wouldn't do that. We're still good friends," Song Xin replied confidently.
In reality, both women knew the other's secrets. If one was to betray the other, they would both suffer. How was Duan Jinghong to compete with Song Xin who was currently popular and had a judge as a father?
So, Duan Jinghong sneered and said in a dull tone, "Go ahead and leave. Don't forget to lock the door."
Song Xin confirmed that Duan Jinghong knew what to do, so she told her to get some rest. A moment later, Duan Jinghong disappeared into the hospital room like Song Xin had never appeared at all.
It was often said, a person showed their true self when faced with difficulties. It turned out, it happened so easily.
Duan Jinghong could only wish Song Xin all the best with her fame...
...
Soon, Crown Empire officially announced that Duan Jinghong had been bitten while trying to steal something. As it was an official announcement and it was accompanied by a police report, the name 'Duan Jinghong' quickly became a hot topic online. Of course, she was hot topic throughout the nation for being a joke.
_"This manager is such a troublemaker. She has dragged Song Xin down too much."
_"Does she have a pig's brain? How dare she try to steal from Taeyeon's office? She deserves to be bitten by a dog!"
_"I feel embarrassed on her behalf. She's humiliated herself in front of the entire nation."
_"Crown Empire dealt with this matter pretty well. Although this manager has no brains, they still helped her arrange compensation. If it was me, I wouldn't give her a cent. She obviously provoked the dog herself."
_"Now, even when I look at Song Xin, I feel a bit embarrassed too. I don't know why!"
_"Haha, you're not the only one."
The internet was filled with opinions. Although Song Xin tried to maintain a low profile, she was still affected in one way or another. After all, Duan Jinghong was her manager and her actions made it difficult to separate the two.
_"I feel like Song Xin was aware of this and may possibly be the instigator."
_"Song Xin is in an awkward position. The best thing for her to do at the moment is to stay quiet."
...
The public continued to discuss the issue enthusiastically. But, of course, Chanyeol found the entire thing quite strange. Duan Jinghong did not appear to be such a stupid person. How did she make such a huge mistake?
Most weird of all, why did Tiffany - someone that was about to give birth - suddenly adopt a dog?
Chanyeol felt a bit uncomfortable; he had to know the truth. So, he decided to give Tiffany a phone call, but Tiffany was at Crown Empire, "If you have any questions, come ask me at the office."
Chanyeol hung up the phone and headed over to the CEO's office. As soon as he saw Tiffany sitting safely on the sofa and the fierce dog was no longer anywhere to be seen, his gaze was full of confusion.
"The dog injured someone, so we've sent it away," Tiffany clarified naturally.
"What exactly happened?" Chanyeol asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "You should at least tell me what's going on."
"Don't you think that this scene seems familiar?" Tiffany looked at Chanyeol seriously.
Chanyeol stared at Tiffany for a few minutes; a seemingly impossible possibility suddenly came to his mind. So, he asked, "This couldn't be related to Shinhye, right?"
"This is what she owed Shinhye: her legs and her career. Although she can't be compared to Shinhye, this is her payback for now," Tiffany said calmly, but Chanyeol could not comprehend the coldness in her eyes, "I did not expect much. I simply wanted to give her a tooth for a tooth. But, she still owes one more thing. I will send it over on behalf of Shinhye soon."
"Wasn't Shinhye's injury an accident?"
"Of course not. Go-ho saw with her own eyes that Duan Jinghong was near your apartment on the night of Shinhye's injury. In this world, if someone has done something, it is impossible to leave no trace," Tiffany replied before she looked at Chanyeol with a dark expression, "You are Shinhye's husband. If you knew about this matter beforehand, you wouldn't have been able to control your emotions. Regardless, this is a battle between women, so I didn't think it was necessary to implicate you. That's why I handled it without consulting you first. Especially since I had my own payback that I needed to get."
Chanyeol was suddenly speechless. He was shocked by the truth because he felt that the human heart was an ugly thing.
Of course, he would never pity Duan Jinghong, otherwise, what about his innocent wife?
"I can't believe that I'm the last to know..."
"No, Shinhye doesn't know yet either."
Chanyeol did not say anything else, because he knew, everything that Tiffany did was to help Shinhye get revenge.
In the end, Chanyeol did not know when he left Taeyeon's office, all he remembered was, before he left, Taeyeon had told him, "Prepare for the promotion of 'The Lost Relative'. Since the release date has been moved forward, we need to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Afterwards, Chanyeol went to visit Duan Jinghong at the hospital on behalf of Crown Empire. After her other visitors finished giving their well-wishes, Chanyeol requested for some time alone with Duan Jinghong.
Duan Jinghong did not know what Chanyeol wanted to talk about. Perhaps, he simply wanted to tell her not to drag down Song Xin or something similar. But, to her surprise, Chanyeol asked, "Was it your idea or Song Xin's idea?"
Duan Jinghong froze, unsure what Chanyeol was trying to ask.
"Using an aggressive dog to attack Shinhye: was it your idea or Song Xin's?"
Hearing Shinhye's name, Duan Jinghong clasped her hands nervously and shook her head, "I don't understand what you're saying."
"I'm sure you know how you ended up this way. I want to know who the mastermind was. Answer me."
Chanyeol expressed himself clearly: Duan Jinghong had ended up in her current state because it was planned and not because of an accident.
However, it was all payback!
After thinking for a moment, Duan Jinghong's eyes turned red. Since Song Xin thought so highly of herself, then she was going to leave the matter for Song Xin to deal with by herself, "Song Xin."
"Hasn't anyone warned you not to provoke Tiffany? I've seen plenty of overconfident people, but their fate...You can just look at yourself..." Chanyeol's voice was icy cold. "I heard that you and Song Xin had a falling out. Think about what you've done for her and look at how she's treated you in return. I can simply say that you reaped what you sowed!"
Duan Jinghong could not retaliate. After all, everything that Chanyeol said was the truth.
People in this world were terrifying. Just like Song Xin and Tiffany.
Song Xin did not need a reason to hurt someone. It could simply be because she didn't like the look of a person.
However, there was a person like Tiffany who always made people pay for their actions. She never provoked others, but she always got her revenge.
When comparing the two women, she liked Tiffany's methods more. At least...
...Tiffany maintained her bottom line.
"I know that Shinhye is your wife. If you want to get revenge, direct it towards me. I can handle it."
"No need. You're just a pawn. Plus, you've already paid back enough," Chanyeol was trying to say that the most important person in this incident was still Song Xin.
Even so, Chanyeol still left a small present for Duan Jinghong as he left.
The originally secure hospital was suddenly filled with reporters. In front of the cameras, Duan Jinghong's last bit of dignity was stripped clean...
...
Meanwhile, Song Xin was too afraid to even take a deep breath. All she could do was hide at home, too afraid to express her thoughts towards Duan Jinghong's matters.
After Duan Jinghong's accident, Song Xin's work could only be temporarily suspended. Crown Empire had no intention to appoint a new manager for her either, so the current situation was at a standstill.
Song Xin waited until the situation died down before she finally sat down and thought about Duan Jinghong's accident. From her understanding, Duan Jinghong wasn't such a stupid person.
However, in the spur of the moment, she simply focused on drawing a fine line with Duan Jinghong and did not ask about the incident in detail. Although Crown Empire had announced the result of their investigation, they never mentioned the motive.
After thinking for a moment, Song Xin gave Duan Jinghong a phone call, "Jinghong, no matter how I think about it, I can't understand what happened. I feel like someone schemed against us."
Duan Jinghong held onto her phone and sneered, "I was simply not careful enough. This was all an accident..."
She wouldn't and couldn't tell Song Xin that Tiffany knew about the tricks she had played. She wanted to slowly watch Tiffany swallow Song Xin whole.
Song Xin thought she was a genius. She thought she was unrivaled in all aspects. Who would have thought, when faced with Tiffany, she was but a mantis stalking a cicada.
She couldn't imagine the extent of Tiffany's EQ nor did she want to guess how much Tiffany knew...
"Jinghong, you need to tell me the truth. That's the only way I can guarantee safety for both of us."
You're just protecting yourself, Duan Jinghong thought to herself.
"There's really nothing more to it. I was momentarily possessed by greed. I'm tired, I'm going to get some rest," Duan Jinghong said before she hung up the phone.
Song Xin...
From now on, she had to handle things on her own.
At times, Duan Jinghong hated Song Xin. After everything she had done for her, what was the result?
She also wanted to see Song Xin's fate!
When Shinhye found out the truth, she felt like everything had changed. At the time of the dog attack, she simply wanted to protect Go-ho, so she was brimming with courage and did not have time to feel panic nor fear.
Above all, she never considered that there'd be an ugly scheme behind the entire incident. Even if she had figured it out, she wouldn't have been like Tiffany; stealthily monitoring her enemy for so long, just to get revenge.
At times, she admired Tiffany's patience and her intentions. In Tiffany's words, the industry was a place where people stepped on each other. If one did not set rules and clarify their bottom line, someone was bound to use their shoulders to boost themselves up, until one day, their corpse would be found lying around outside without them knowing what had even happened.
If the dog attack had not happened, Shinhye may not have been so emotionally affected. But, in the face of fame and fortune, whenever shortcuts existed, people were bound to do anything to take them, even if it meant hurting others.
"Following on, you still have Song Xin to deal with. What do you plan on doing?" Shinhye asked over the phone.
"Do you think she'll just sit around quietly and do nothing?" Tiffany asked back.
"But, Duan Jinghong's news has already implicated her. I'm sure she'll watch her behavior, right?"
Tiffany's motive was indeed to suppress Song Xin's arrogance. But, she did not think that Song Xin could be controlled so easily.
"That's enough, let's move away from this upsetting topic. I saw that Chanyeol's been preparing the promotion for your new film. Your third film is about to be released. Congratulations!"
Third film...
It felt like a long time ago, but, whenever Tiffany thought about the satisfied looks of the audience as they left the theaters, she was extremely proud. No matter how many times she experienced that feeling, she would never get sick of it.
After all, she was an actress that looked forward to the reactions of the audience.
...
Plenty had happened during this period of time, but Suho placed his focus on Irene and did not take notice of Tiffany's actions.
That night, the weather was rainy again. After filming in the forest, the production crew quickly returned to the hotel. But, as Suho arrived, Irene was nowhere to be seen. So, he went to ask the director.
The director held his head and thought carefully. After a few minutes, he finally answered, "The last scene I filmed was with Ling Long. Afterwards, I notified all the staff to pack up and leave. The staff wouldn't have forgotten to notify her, right?"
Suho did not listen to another word from the director as he immediately ran downstairs to prepare a car. He was going to drive back to the film set in the forest.
Ling Long was downstairs at that moment. As soon as she saw Suho, she immediately stopped him in his track, "Director Suho, I remember Irene mentioned that she'd be returning to Korea, do you want to call her to check?"
As soon as Suho heard this, he immediately called Irene's phone. But, her phone was already switched off. In such rainy weather, if Irene was planning to go anywhere, she would have told him - unless her phone was out of battery.
Afterwards, Suho got into his car and rushed back to Korea. At this time, Ling Long pulled out Irene's phone and threw it in the bin.
"That's what she gets for being proud."
The present Ling Long had been demoted to the position of supporting actress, while Irene had been given back her role as female lead.
Ling Long was filled with resentment. She had been waiting for an opportunity to deal with Irene. So, now that she had been given a rare chance, she wanted to see how long Irene would last up in the mountains in such harsh weather.
...
Enroute back to Korea, Suho kept thinking about what Ling Long had said. It was often said that people got flustered when a matter involved themselves. So, why did he easily trust Ling Long's words and believe that Irene had returned to Korea?
Thinking of this, Suho immediately turned the car around and drove straight up the mountain. But, because of the heavy rain and uneven roads, the car had its limitations.
However, for the sake of Irene, he couldn't overthink things. Without grabbing an umbrella, he directly jumped out of the car and went in search of Irene in the rain.
"Irene!!"
"Irene!!"
A voice drifted towards Irene from the distance. For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating. She was indeed trapped in the forest because no one had told her that filming had ended and she had fallen asleep on set. However, when she awoke, she realized that her phone was missing. Originally, she had already decided to spend the night there and leave the mountain in the morning. But, to her surprise...Suho came looking for her.
Irene wasn't a delicate woman, but when she saw Suho appear from the rain, she couldn't believe that she'd pounce straight into his arms.
Luckily, the crew had set up a wooden cabin where she could temporarily hide from the rain. Otherwise, how would she have withstood the night?
"Are you OK?" Suho asked as he hugged her.
"Yes, I'm fine," Irene murmured.
Suho froze for a moment and remembered that his shirt was completely soaked. Originally, he wanted to push Irene away, but she refused to let him go.
"I'm wet, you'll catch a cold."
"I'm not afraid," Irene argued childishly.
"We can't stay here, let's think of a way to leave the mountains." Suho noticed that the cabin couldn't block out the wind, so he took off his jacket and threw it over himself and Irene, "Let's go down like this. My car is parked not too far away."
"I'm not that delicate..."
"You have a man now. Even if you're not delicate, you should act delicate in front of me," Suho hugged Irene as he led her out of the cabin. The couple walked through the rain and quickly arrived at Suho's car. After they boarded the car, Suho grabbed a blanket from the back and handed it to Irene, "Dry yourself off..."
"You are wetter than I am, you should wipe yourself dry first!"
"Stop nagging, I need to drive," Suho said before he started the car and returned to the hotel where the cast and crew stayed.
Half an hour later, Suho pushed Irene into his room and ordered, "Have a bath."
"What about you?"
Suho did not respond as he stormed over to Ling Long's room and knocked on her door. Of course, to avoid any misunderstandings, he asked a hotel staff to accompany him.
Ling Long opened her door curiously to find Suho with one arm outstretched, "Give me back the phone!"
"I don't understand."
"Of course you do. Where's Irene's phone?" Suho's voice had a trace of danger. "If you don't tell me right now, I can guarantee that you'd be kicked out of the cast tomorrow. I'm sure you know that Irene is Taeyeon's sister."
Ling Long's face turned pale in fear...
But, she still refused to admit that she had the phone, "I...I truly don't understand what you are trying to say. Director Suho, I think we have a misunderstanding."
"Great, absolutely great!" After speaking, Suho left Ling Long's room...
A moment later, Suho gave Tiffany a phone call. He wanted to use Taeyeon to help Irene get revenge...
When he finally returned to the room, Irene had just finished getting changed. Seeing the anger on Suho's face, Irene figured that he had gone to get payback, so she quickly shook her head, "You didn't need to do that."
"I went to stick up for you. Why are you complaining?"
"No one has ever stuck up for me in the past," Irene laughed, "And my life still turned out fine, didn't it?"
It was because she had always protected herself that Irene became a person that acted independently and was extremely self-centered.
"That was the past..."
Irene pounced towards Suho once again and hugged him. Her soft body pressed firmly against his soaking wet body...
"Have a shower and get some rest..." Suho quickly pushed Irene away, afraid that he'd act impulsively and do something unforgivable.
"But, you also need to wash yourself off..."
"Don't mind me," Suho held Irene's head in place, not allowing her to move recklessly. "I have my desires, if you keep making reckless moves, I may eat you up."
Irene froze and looked at Suho blankly.
Suho sighed. Just as he was about to turn around, Irene wrapped her arms around him in a hug, "I refuse to believe that!"
"Don't act like a little thug. A woman's every decision should go through careful consideration."
"So...everything that's gone through careful consideration, is correct? A woman's decision doesn't change depending on the man they meet?"
This was the first time that Suho lost to Irene verbally.
"Stay here tonight."
"People in the crew will find out."
"Everyone can already tell that you like me," Irene said with slightly flushed cheeks.
"It will ruin your reputation," Suho said with a strict expression. "Listen to me, go to sleep."
"If you reject me again, I will kiss you in public tomorrow!" Irene threatened childishly.
"In the end, you don't care about your acting career, do you? What woman acts as casually as you do? How could you ask a man to stay the night so easily?"
Suho appeared ready to explode in anger, but...Irene rubbed her head against his chest and said, "No one has treated me the way that you do: you're kind to me, you worry about me and you take care of me. Ever since my father left, I haven't experienced this feeling of being protected until now. I'm asking you to stay, not because I want anything to happen between us. I simply want to keep the feeling of being protected for a little longer."
Suho was stunned by Irene's words. After a short moment, he suddenly covered her with his jacket, "Let's go."
"Where?"
"You'll see when we get there."
After speaking, Suho led Irene out of the room. As he walked, he spoke to the director on the phone, "Director, Ling Long trapped Irene on the mountain and caused her to be soaked by rain. I am taking her to the hospital right now. Please rearrange the filming schedule for tomorrow."
As soon as the director heard what Ling Long had done, he immediately replied, "OK, take good care of her."
Suho did not say any more as he continued to lead Irene out of the hotel. He ended up taking her to the hospital as per his conversation with the director, but he simply bought some cold medicine.
Afterwards, he took Irene to a seaside bed and breakfast to stay the night.
The location was peaceful and the bed and breakfast was owned by a friend, so they weren't at risk of being followed or photographed.
Irene did not expect Suho to take her to another accommodation. Her heart began to race in panic and anticipation...
"Go. You can finally have a shower and get some rest, right?" Suho asked helplessly.
If Irene had been obedient, she would have been deep in her dreams by now.
"But...there's only one bed..." Irene said as she pointed to the bed. "You..."
"Look at you. You're not an old lady, but why are your thoughts so complicated?"
Just as Suho was about to say that he'd sleep on the sofa, Irene suddenly moved in and bit down sensually on his lip.
Suho's eyes grew big. He wanted to push her away, but she began to run her hands randomly all over his body.
Suho couldn't resist temptation, so he immediately pressed Irene under his body and kissed her passionately. Their cheeks flushed red, but after quite some time, Suho ended up releasing her and warned, "Get a good night's rest. Stop thinking too much. Kissing is my bottom line, don't think about doing anything else!"
"When can we move beyond kissing?"
"You're not even 20 yet. Don't talk to me about adult-rated stuff," Suho said as he pinched her nose.
"Then...can I kiss you more often?"
Suho stood up from the bed and covered her head in a dry towel, "Depends on your performance."
"It seems very peaceful here," Irene mumbled as she enjoyed the special drying service provided by Suho.
"A friend opened this place. The area is not bad," Suho replied.
"Then, let's make this place our secret meeting spot from now on, what do you say? With our identities, we don't get many chances to go on dates."
Hearing Irene's complaint, Suho stopped drying her hair. He suddenly felt like he had deprived her of things that she shouldn't have been deprived of: a girl's longing to be in love and the sweetness they desired from their lover.
As a result, Suho agreed, even though he originally wanted to say no.
He obviously knew what would happen if they got discovered, but he still dove headfirst into danger.
Because, Irene was amazing and he didn't want to lose her...
...
Meanwhile, Tiffany was lying on Taeyeon's chest as she told him about Suho's phone call.
"Tae...don't you think Suho has overstepped his boundaries with Irene?"
"Isn't that what you wanted to see?" Taeyeon hugged Tiffany as he placed his warm palms on top of her stomach; enjoying the movements of the baby inside.
"You're Irene's older brother. Since your sister is suffering, I think you should help her."
Taeyeon did not respond, he simply focused on the movement in his palms. After quite some time, he finally whispered seductively in Tiffany's ear, "Hurry and give birth..."
"This isn't something that I can decide," Tiffany supported her back tiredly. "When will the building next door be finished with its renovations?"
"Our baby will be able to move in after you give birth."
"Will that be bad for the baby?"
"The renovations followed strict guidelines, it won't be harmful for the baby," Taeyeon replied. "I've almost forgotten how you looked before you were pregnant..."
"Am I fat? I must look bad," Tiffany covered her cheeks and sighed.
Taeyeon chuckled without responding to Tiffany's question. He simply leaned towards her ear and said something completely unrelated, "It's not that you look bad...It's just inconvenient to do certain activities..."
*********
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